Category: Football

The long-running dispute between Kylian Mbappe and his former club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) moved to the French labour court on Monday, with both sides presenting staggering financial claims.

Mbappe, now a Real Madrid player, is seeking €263 million ($304m) from PSG, while the club is demanding €440 million in return, citing lost transfer revenue, reputational damage, and an alleged breach of a post-transfer agreement.

The conflict traces back to June 2023, when PSG attempted to transfer Mbappe to Saudi club Al Hilal for €300 million, a move the striker refused.

Mbappe subsequently left Paris on a free transfer when his contract expired the following summer.

PSG lawyer Renaud Semerdjian confirmed the club’s claim, explaining that the €440 million figure reflects both financial losses and damage to PSG’s image.

Mbappe, who did not attend Monday’s hearing, denies ever agreeing to waive any payments from the club and has challenged the classification of his contract under French labour law.

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The dispute also stems from Mbappe’s treatment at PSG during the 2023-24 season.

According to the France captain, he was sidelined, forced to train with players PSG were looking to offload, and excluded from the club’s pre-season tour of Asia.

The striker initially filed a complaint in June over what he described as unfair treatment by the Qatari-owned club.

Mbappe spent seven seasons at PSG, scoring 256 goals in 308 appearances, but left just before the club captured their first Champions League title. He now earns a reported €30 million annually at Real Madrid.

The tribunal is expected to take several weeks before delivering a verdict, with a decision anticipated on December 16.

READ: Donald Trump unveils fast-track visas for World Cup 2026 ticket holders

President of the United States of America (USA) Donald Trump on Monday unveiled special fast-track visas for people with tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The United States has promised a seamless experience for next year’s tournament despite concerns that Trump’s border crackdown could hurt fans.

“For those who intend to join us for the World Cup, I strongly encourage you to apply right away,” Trump said as he announced the scheme in the Oval Office with Gianni Infantino, the boss of global soccer body FIFA.

Infantino, who has repeatedly appeared at Trump’s side since the Republican’s return to the White House in January, said the so-called “FIFA Pass” was a “very important announcement.”

“If you have a ticket for the World Cup, you can have a prioritized appointment to get your visa,” Infantino said.

“We’ll have between five and 10 million people coming to America from all over the world to enjoy the World Cup, and with this FIFA pass, we can make sure that those who buy a ticket, who are legitimate football fans or soccer fans, can come and attend the World Cup in the best conditions.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, issued a warning to those hoping to come for the tournament.

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“Your ticket is not a visa,” Rubio said at the announcement. “It doesn’t guarantee admission to the US. It guarantees you an expedited appointment, but you’re still going to go through the same vetting.”

Rubio said ticket holders would get an interview within six to eight weeks under the plan, but urged people to act now.

“Don’t wait till the last minute,” he said.

Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance on a host of issues.

Trump has raised the possibility of moving games from certain host cities amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and migration in some Democratic-run cities.

The draw for the World Cup is due to take place in Washington on December 5.

FIFA will present a new peace prize on the same day, with widespread speculation that it could go to Trump.

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Barcelona will finally return to their reconstructed Camp Nou stadium against Athletic Bilbao on November 22 in La Liga, the club said Monday, after more than two years in exile.

Since the stadium closed at the end of the 2022/23 season, the Catalan giants have been forced to play elsewhere, mainly at the Olympic Stadium on the city’s Montjuic hill.

A series of delays means Camp Nou is reopening a year after it was originally slated to, following a 1.5 billion euro ($1.75 billion) transformation beset by construction chaos.

Barcelona will open the stadium with a temporary capacity of 45,401 spectators, with space for 105,000 when the top tier is completed.

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They opened the stadium up for 23,000 fans to watch a training session earlier in November as a test event in the reopening process.

Barcelona are also hoping to receive the green light from UEFA to host Eintracht Frankfurt at the Camp Nou in the Champions League on December 9.

The Spanish champions were forced to play two matches at their 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff training ground stadium in the first weeks of the season after failing to get the permit they needed for Camp Nou, due to safety reasons.

The previous iteration of Camp Nou was built in 1957 and had a capacity of 99,000.

Barcelona plan to add a roof to the stadium, which will be installed in the summer of 2027, a year later than the project was anticipated to be completed.

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Nigeria football coach, Eric Chelle, has accused the Democratic Republic of Congo of practising “voodoo” after his squad’s hopes of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2026 ended in a penalty shootout loss.

DR Congo and Nigeria drew 1-1 after extra time in the African play-offs final in Rabat on Sunday, and the central Africans won 4-3 on penalties to book a place in inter-confederation play-offs in Mexico next March.

In his post-match remarks to journalists, coach Eric Chelle said a member of the DR Congo team “did some voodoo, every time, every time, every time”.

“That is why I was a bit nervous,” said former Mali international Chelle, who boasts four wins and two draws in competitive matches since taking charge of the Super Eagles.

Chelle had admitted prior to the match that it was going to “be very difficult in Morocco.”

Using hand gestures, he said he saw a DR Congo member waving his hand as if sprinkling or shaking something.

“I don’t know if it’s water or something like that,” Chelle said.

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In a nervy shootout in which four spot-kicks were saved and another missed, DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba defied a bottle thrown toward him and torrential rain to convert the winning penalty as his country sought a return to the global showpiece after a lengthy absence.

Nigeria, an African football giant, lie 19 places above DR Congo in the world rankings and were pre-match favourites.

The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the second World Cup in a row. They had not missed back-to-back editions since their debut in 1994.

While Nigeria have been a regular participant at the World Cup, the sole appearance by the Congolese came in 1974 when the mineral-rich central African country was called Zaire.

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MILAN: Norway qualified for their first World Cup since 1998 after Erling Haaland struck again in a 4-1 thumping of Italy on Sunday, which sealed a spot in the 2026 edition in the United States of America (USA), Canada and Mexico.

Haaland scored the decisive brace in the space of seconds at a soaking San Siro for Norway, who completed Group I with a perfect 24 points from their eight qualifying matches.

Norway would have had to lose by nine goals or more in order to be overtaken by Italy for the group’s only automatic place for next summer’s finals in North America, but Stale Solbakken’s side gloriously ended their campaign in front of 70,000 people.

However, Solbakken was coy as to his powerful team’s chances now that a 28-year weight has come to an end.

Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, was still an international player when Norway last competed in the World Cup 27 years ago, a tournament won by a Zinedine Zidane-inspired France.

 

And the Manchester City striker, called a “goal machine” by Solbakken, will be one of the players to watch in North America after smashing in 16 goals during qualifying.

The 25-year-old is averaging more than a goal a game for club and country this season and was typically ruthless when presented with his opportunities to both put Norway ahead and then double their lead in the 78th and 79th minutes.

Pio Esposito opened the scoring for Italy in the 11th minute, but once Antonio Nusa levelled with a thumping strike in the 63rd minute, there was only one team that looked like winning, and Jorgen Strand Larsen’s brilliant individual goal completed the rout in stoppage time.

Italy will head to the play-offs in March after finishing the group six points behind Norway following two bracing defeats to Solbakken’s team, and exited the San Siro field to a hail of whistles from the few home fans who had stayed until the end.

READ: Portugal hammer Armenia to qualify for World Cup 2026

Portugal crushed Armenia 9-1 without suspended talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to clinch qualification for the 2026 World Cup finals on Sunday.

Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Paris Saint-Germain’s Joao Neves both scored hat-tricks as Roberto Martinez’s side racked up a huge win in Porto to top Group F.

Renato Veiga got the ball rolling for Portugal, with Goncalo Ramos and Francisco Conceicao also on the scoresheet.

After a draw in Hungary in October and a surprise defeat at Ireland on Thursday in which Ronaldo was sent off, Portugal wrapped up qualification at the third attempt in their final group match.

They will compete in a seventh consecutive edition of the World Cup, a tournament which the Euro 2016 champions are yet to win.

With Manchester United midfielder Fernandes playing a key role throughout, Portugal made a quick start by scoring in the seventh minute.

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Fernandes’s vicious inswinging free-kick from just outside the left side of the box was pushed onto the post by goalkeeper Henri Avagyan but Veiga was on hand to head home the rebound.

The visitors shocked the hosts by scoring on their first attack to equalise, with Grant-Leon Ranos crossing for Armenia captain Eduard Spertsyan to strike.

However Portugal quickly stepped up a gear and racked up an unassailable lead. Paris Saint-Germain striker Ramos intercepted a back pass and squeezed home his country’s second after rounding Avagyan.

Portugal put together a tidy move for their third, with Neves blasting home from the edge of the box after being teed up by Fernandes.

Neves netted a spectacular second with a free-kick which flew into the top right corner, leaving Avagyan with no chance.

Fernandes netted the fifth in first-half stoppage time with a low penalty after Ruben Dias was fouled.

The Manchester United midfielder continued where he left off after the break, slotting home his second after being fed by Ramos.

Fernandes completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after debutant substitute Carlos Forbs was felled.

Neves followed suit for Portugal’s eighth goal, smashing home after Veiga headed Fernandes’s cross into his path.

Juventus forward Conceicao added the ninth in stoppage time to seal one of his country’s biggest ever victories.

Ireland stunned Hungary with a late winner to triumph 3-2 in the other Group F match and reach the play-offs, with Troy Parrott following up his midweek brace against Portugal with a hat-trick.

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PARIS: Kylian Mbappe hit a brace while Michael Olise and Hugo Ekitike also scored as France beat Ukraine 4-0 on Thursday at Parc des Princes to secure World Cup 2026 qualification.

Captain Mbappe coolly chipped in from the spot 10 minutes into the second half, and the impressive Olise doubled their lead on 76 minutes.

Mbappe then struck again, and Ekitike swept in a first goal for his country as France got the win they required to clinch their spot at the 2026 finals in North America.

A minute’s silence was impeccably observed ahead of kick-off by the 41,000 spectators as France marked the 10th anniversary of the attacks in and around Paris on Friday, November 13, 2015.

Most of the 130 people killed in the attacks lost their lives at the Bataclan concert hall in the capital.

But one person died near the Stade de France in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, where multiple explosions took place as suicide bombers attempted to enter the ground during a friendly between Les Bleus and Germany.

Didier Deschamps was the coach then and remains in charge now, with the approaching World Cup to be his final tournament before stepping down.

With one game still to come in Azerbaijan on Sunday, France have an unassailable six-point lead over both Iceland and Ukraine at the top of European qualifying Group D.

Winners of the World Cup in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, France maintain their record of having made it to every edition of the tournament since missing out on a place in the United States in 1994.

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While France can now look forward to the draw for the finals, which takes place in Washington, DC, on December 5, Ukraine and Iceland meet each other on Sunday in a shoot-out to decide who continues on into the play-offs next March.

France’s only slip-up in qualifying came in a draw in Iceland last month, although they have rarely found their fluid best during a low-key campaign.

Mbappe and Olise were in fine fettle here at Paris Saint-Germain’s home ground, though, while Bradley Barcola came closest to scoring in the first half with a curling effort from outside the area that was tipped onto the woodwork and behind for a corner.

Real Madrid superstar Mbappe then chipped in from the spot to open the scoring early in the second half after Olise had been fouled inside the area.

Olise, of Bayern Munich, really came into his own after being shifted from the right to a more central role.

It was shortly after setting up Ekitike to hit the post that Olise turned and fired in France’s second goal, and Ukraine caved in towards the end.

Mbappe scored from close range in the 83rd minute after Ekitike had been denied, taking him to 55 goals for his country and to within two of all-time top marksman Olivier Giroud’s tally of 57.

Liverpool’s Ekitike then rounded off a fine move to wrap up the victory with his first senior international goal.

READ: England edge Serbia to maintain perfect World Cup 2026 qualifying run

LONDON: Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze helped England extend their flawless record on the road to the FIFA World Cup 2026, but Jude Bellingham was reduced to a cameo role in Thursday’s 2-0 win against Serbia at Wembley Stadium.

Saka struck in the first half before his Arsenal team-mate Eze netted in the closing stages to ensure England, who had already qualified for the World Cup, made it seven successive Group K victories without conceding a goal.

After scoring 13 times in their previous three matches, this was a more prosaic England display, with Thomas Tuchel’s decision to leave Bellingham out of his starting line-up capturing most of the attention.

Tuchel opted to select Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers instead of Bellingham before sending on the Real Madrid star with 26 minutes left.

Bellingham had missed England’s previous four matches, with a shoulder injury sidelining him in September before Tuchel left him out in October.

Rogers excelled in the number 10 role while deputising for Bellingham during England’s wins over Wales and Latvia in October.

And Tuchel this week warned Bellingham that he would have to fight for his place in the starting line-up at the World Cup.

There have been reports that Bellingham has sometimes been a polarising figure among the England squad, and Tuchel was forced to apologise to the 22-year-old earlier this season after revealing his mother found the fiery star’s on-pitch behaviour “repulsive”.

After England travel to Albania for their last qualifier on Sunday, Tuchel has only two friendlies remaining in March before he has to name his World Cup squad.

The Germans’ handling of Bellingham will likely be the main topic from now until the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year.

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England’s 5-0 win in Serbia in September was the first sign that Tuchel was starting to stamp his mark on the team after a slow start to his reign.

England have been revitalised since that impressive victory, securing their World Cup berth by crushing Latvia in October.

Tuchel has now won eight of his nine matches, including seven World Cup qualifiers without conceding a single goal.

Tuchel had urged Saka to score more often for England after a meagre run in front of goal, and the Arsenal forward responded in the 28th minute.

Serbia keeper Predrag Rajkovic punched Declan Rice’s free-kick to Nico O’Reilly, and when his shot was blocked towards Saka, the 24-year-old guided a composed volley into the far corner from an acute angle.

Saka’s 14th goal in 47 England appearances gave his side a lift and O’Reilly’s deflected cross smacked the post before Harry Kane headed wide from close range.

Rogers nearly doubled the lead with a flicked header that flashed wide just before half-time.

Dusan Vlahovic should have punished England for their profligacy, but the striker back-heeled wide from close range after the interval.

As well as introducing Bellingham, Tuchel sent on Phil Foden — who had been absent from the previous three squads — to play as England’s central striker in place of Kane.

Bellingham and Foden combined with fellow substitute Eze to wrap up England’s win in the 90th minute.

Bellingham found Foden and the Manchester City playmaker teed up Eze for a superb finish into the top corner from the edge of the area.

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Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo said he wants Ireland fans to boo him in Thursday’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier in Dublin.

Portugal will reach the 2026 World Cup finals with a victory, and Ronaldo said if the crowd focused on him, it could take pressure off his teammates.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is aiming to play at a sixth World Cup next summer, and Portugal lead qualifying Group F by five points with two matches remaining.

“The stadium will boo me, I’m used to it, I certainly hope they do, maybe it will take the pressure off other players,” Ronaldo told a news conference on Wednesday.

Ronaldo said he expected it would be a “difficult” match, with Ireland sitting back and denying him and his teammates space.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward was also asked about the possibility of scoring his 1000th career goal in the World Cup final.

“You’ve been watching too many movies, that would be too perfect,” laughed Ronaldo, 40.

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“Getting back to reality, all this data makes me happy. A national team never depends on one player, but I like being able to make a difference with goals.

“It’s always good to score goals, that’s my position. I want to play in this next World Cup; otherwise, I wouldn’t be here, but let’s take it step by step.”

Cristiano Ronaldo, currently playing at Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr, has scored 953 goals in his career to date.

The striker is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 goals and said Tuesday he believes the 2026 World Cup will be his last and he expects to retire from football within a couple of years.

However, on Wednesday, Ronaldo said he preferred to focus on the team’s goal of qualifying rather than discuss his future in the game.

“There’s no point in being repetitive and losing focus,” he added. “Maybe later on I’ll give more interviews and speak more clearly about what I think for the future, but Portugal has another opportunity to be in another final.”

READ: England pacer faces injury scare ahead of first Ashes Test

Lamine Yamal has been released from the Spain squad for their upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifying matches after undergoing treatment, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) announced Tuesday.

The federation’s medical team announced “their surprise and upset” after discovering on Monday that the 18-year-old “had undergone an invasive radiofrequency procedure to treat his pubic discomfort that same morning”, a statement Tuesday said.

Yamal had been due to report for international duty on Monday for the start of the Spain team’s training camp.

“This procedure was performed without prior notification to the national team’s medical staff, who only learned of the details through a report received… last night (Monday),” the statement added.

The recommended recovery time after such a procedure is seven to 10 days, according to the RFEF statement, with the federation deciding “to release the player from the current squad” to prioritise Yamal’s “health, safety and well-being”.

The Barcelona star has been suffering from a groin problem in recent weeks and was forced to miss Spain’s final round of qualifiers in October.

Spain top Group E with a 100 percent record after four outings, and can book their spot at the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico over the next two matchdays.

They take on Georgia on Saturday in Tbilisi, before welcoming Turkey to Seville on November 18.

READ: Ronaldo drops major hint about his future with Portugal